Colors
by SolarKiss
Summary: Sawyer thinks about Kate's different shirt colors, and how each one was significant to their relationship.


Sawyer was never the kind of man who cared about his appearance in the clothes department. A simple pair of pants and a shirt would suit him fine. It didn't matter if there was any sort of flaw to them--just as long as they kept him covered. Even a woman's outfit couldn't bring out a reaction in him. No matter how fashionable or exotic their attire was, Sawyer could have cared less. Sure, he could put on his charm and fake a smile, but it was all part of the many meaningless scams he had done. If there ever was any interest, it was most likely for what the shirt held, or what was hidden in the pants, than the apparel itself.

Of course, that had been his view on things back in the states, but that was before he boarded Oceanic Flight 815. Before he crashed on this pitiful spit of land in the middle of nowhere. Before he met Kate.

Since the very first day, Kate had refused Sawyer's package, complete with sexual teases and dimpled grins. He wasn't completely caught off guard by this, but it did startle him to a new sense. His other marks would have been between him and the sheets by now. But Kate was the "hard to get" kind of girl, and Sawyer never turned down a good chase. Lucky for him, the girl he was chasing never wanted to stop running--but for entirely different reasons than he had in mind.

Physical attraction and emotional desire were starting to build up within him, and damned if he didn't find her to be a pretty silver lining in the dark cloud his life had become. It made island life a little less dreary. But now, as if to contradict his previous methods, he was actually starting to care how she appeared. He'd admit, Kate was beautiful no matter what she was wearing, but each new set of clothing gave her a spark that seemed to trigger certain emotions within her, and Sawyer could match each one up with her colorful blouses. And hell, it's not like he had better things to do with his time anyway.

Whenever Kate's name came up in a conversation, the first visual he got would be of her wearing the orange tank top. It was what she was wearing when they first met, and Sawyer felt it gave off a "new" kind of feel. Along with "bad ass." He willingly went on their jungle trek to reach a high point for the transceiver's signal, but it was only when Kate had a gun in her hand and directed at him that Sawyer felt the strong will that she possessed pour off of her in waves. As she took apart the gun, he began to grow a new appreciation for her, one that he didn't feel quite too often with other women. Which was why it didn't take long for him to grab her wrist and pull her close to him, to drink her in as much as he could before he released her. The orange shirt was like Kate's second skin, and Sawyer had much appreciation for it.

Kate's purple shirt probably came next on Sawyer's imaginary list. She wore it whenever she was in one of her fun moods. But Sawyer also thought of it as her "monkey" shirt, considering she was always wearing when she was up and climbing a tree. As it would happen, it was Sawyer who caused Kate to descend from one of her numerous flights of tree climbing, to which they wandered and chatted as they moved through the jungle--until they stumbled upon a huge, cascading waterfall.

It didn't take long for the two of them to strip (partially) before they were both immersed in the water. From there, only splashing and head dunking ensued, with some tickling on Sawyer's part. Like with everything else on the island, however, a moment of bliss could only go on so long, before it is ended in a most dismal way. And for Sawyer and Kate, their time of enjoyment was gloomily ended by the finding of two corpses at the bottom of the lake. Thrown back into reality, they were able to compose themselves long enough to gather a wallet off one body (for Sawyer) and a metal case off the other (for Kate.) Funnily enough, it was Sawyer who ended up keeping both items, for the time being.

But as the day progressed, Kate changed out of her playful mood as fast as her shirt. She had donned a black cotton one, dark and mysterious. It certainly fit her well, as more of her past came to the surface at the presence of the case. Sawyer was never actually shown the contents of the case, but there wasn't a doubt in his mind that it was just more issues that surrounded herself and the Marshall. But Sawyer still thought of the beginning of the day, when they swam in the crystal clear water, and when Kate enjoyed herself in her purple tank.

That wasn't the only occasion she wore that shirt. His own problems had arisen when he had to worry about a harassing boar, and she had helped him track it down for carte blanche in return. They had shared secrets that night, some light, some heavy. And to add, it was the first time Sawyer had the taste of alcohol on his tongue before the crash. Even better, he was drinking it up with Kate. In her purple shirt. If he tried, he could still see the damp quality and the waterfall mist that sunk into it from their splash fest before. The purple tank top reminded him of cataracts, booze, and boars, and these reasons made Sawyer have a meaningful fondness for the shirt.

If Sawyer had to choose a least favorite shirt of Kate's, it would be her white one. Even though she had worn it numerous times, he still couldn't erase the fact that the first time he saw her wearing it was when he had lied to her, just to hurt her. It was at a high point in the jungle, where Sayid had set up a method to get the signal for the transceiver by firing some flares. Kate had been paired up with Sawyer, who had accidentally gotten caught up in the whole fiasco because he needed to tell her something, not to help Ali. He had learned from Charlie that Jack had gotten stuck in a cave in, and volunteered to go find Kate and tell her about it. But the response she gave him when he first showed up wasn't exactly the one he had been anticipating, and it stung him.

So, he lied, went along for the ride, and watched as Kate fondled with the bottle rocket before he attempted to break the ice. It started out with casual banter, but it was when she decided to make a stab at him about "comparing himself to Jack" did he really hit her hard. Bluntly, and not entirely truthful, Sawyer told Kate that Jack had gotten stuck in a cave in, and purposely left out the little fact of whether he was alive or not. The color had started to drain from her face, and Sawyer noticed how closely it was starting to resemble the neutral shirt she wore. Her green eyes, filled with much pain, stared accusingly at him, and he ended it all by making one last crack at her. Upset and distraught, Kate chucked the flare at Sawyer's feet, picked up her bag, and ran off, back to the caves, back to to Jack. And Sawyer watched her go, realizing how much the color of her shirt reminded him of the Doc--good, pure, and fair.

Despite all this, Sawyer still had a favorite out of Kate's wardrobe, and that would be her green blouse. Her eyes had an equal sparkle to them, and it was pleasant to see the different contrasts of her skin and hair tones against that shirt. It brought out so much in her, and in a way, it made her freckles stand out just a bit more. But it wasn't a day of gazing and longing when she wore that top. Sawyer had been in turmoil himself, and from the way things were going, it wasn't going to end on a happy note.

He had found Boone messing through his stuff, for something Sawyer felt was trivial at the time. It wasn't, and that's when the whole problem began to get messy. Shannon had asthma, and Boone thought Sawyer would have the medication. He made everyone believe he did, but in reality, it was just another lie he had concocted, to get everyone riled up. But it was Kate who began to see through him, who started saying she thought there was a human being inside of him, hoping to get the medication from him by healing his inner wounds. Sawyer saw this coming, and showed her that his scars never faded--through the reading of his letter. He thought that was enough to get Kate off his back, and for awhile, it worked. Until Sayid and Jack came up with the plan to torture him into getting the inhalers, and Kate had a problem with this.

She obliged to see Sawyer when he called for her at the high point in his crucifixion period. When told she would get information about the inhalers in exchange for a kiss, she agreed. And what started out as one little kiss became a passionate force of endearment. Had his eyes not been closed, Sawyer could have seen the jade glow emanating from Kate's shirt, the small tendril of hair that was highlighted by the color as it rested on her shoulder, and the flush that began to creep into her cheeks as the kiss progressed, making her seem appropriate for the Christmas season.

As they broke apart, Kate expected some confirmation of the medicine's whereabouts--but she didn't. Sawyer told her he had no idea where the medicine was, and feeling used, she repaid his information by elbowing him across the face. He felt he deserved it, like with everything, but Sawyer didn't have too much time to contemplate that before Sayid came charging back into the clearing. Sawyer had loosened out of his bonds and began to roughen it up with Sayid, while getting stabbed in the process. He remembered Kate kneeling over him while Jack worked on his open artery. Kate and her emerald brilliance was the last thing he saw before he passed out.

When he woke up in his tent at the beach, he found it slightly surprising that Kate was there next to him. But she was holding his envelope, the envelope that paid home to his letter. And for the next few minutes, Sawyer explained a brief history of the letter, and why he feels he needs to be punished, to be hated. She probably could have stayed longer, but he spotted the pity in her green eyes, and sent her away. And she left, arms crossed over chest, in a lush incandescence that glimmered off the other kaleidoscope of colors around her. It was in that moment that Sawyer felt a special attachment to the green shirt, and to Kate herself.

Like he said before, Kate was beautiful, dirty or clean, sweaty or dry. But Sawyer now realized that Kate's differently assorted shirts, in a ridiculous way, helped their relationship progress to what it had become. The banter was a little less biting, the flirtations more accustomed to, and the smiles and laughter more abundant. They were another part of her, and they defined her as Kate. And they were one of the many small things that made her special to Sawyer.


End file.
